Blue Balloons
by MegaChoirQueer
Summary: Post-Movie/Pre-Movie Canon. A Father's Day story. About a certain ceremony held every year involving blue balloons. Lots of fluff and lots of heavy, deep thinking about spirituality (this isn't a religious fic, but it talks about the soul..) Enjoy(:


**New Story! This one is called Blue Balloons. It's a one-shot that I wrote for Father's Day. It is based off of a lot of things, but I have to give credit to Dani Kin's Fathers & Sons, which gave me the inspiration to write something like this. I normally hate Father's Day for personal reasons, but I felt I could relate to Megamind in that department, and I celebrate my father-figure role model, instead. I'm going to warn you now, there is a lot of talk about spirituality in this. It's not religion with bible stuff, but it has a lot of deep talk about the soul and the spirit and a bit on heaven. Personally, that's not my cup of tea, but it's important to this story, so yeah... So, if that makes you uncomfotable, you don't have to read it. And please don't lecture me on that stuff.**

**Okay, well READ! :D**

* * *

The blue balloons went up every Mother's Day and Father's Day since he was a little kid.

When he was a child, he had secret hopes that somehow his parents survived, and would come back for him, and the blue balloons would tell them where he was, so they could come and get him and they'd be a happy family once again.

Now, he knew much better than to believe such silly anticipations, but it was a tradition.

It started when he was 5 years old. In school, before he got kicked out the next year, the kids would all make crafts for their moms on Mother's Day. Megamind, or at the time, Sonny, came "home" to Warden and asked him what Mother's Day was for. The warden gently explained that it was a day for people to give thanks to their mothers for all that they do for them.

* * *

"But what about those who don't have mothers? What do they do?" the little alien asked.

"Well, most people have a grandmother or aunt or some other adult female in their life that provides nurturing and comfort that they can celebrate."

"And what if they don't?"

"Well, then I guess they don't celebrate it until they become mothers or they are a father and celebrate their wife's motherhood."

"So, what do they do while everyone else is celebrating it?"

"I guess they just have a normal day, as if it were nothing special."

"Oh. Okay. Is there a Father's Day, then?"

"Yes, Sonny, there is."

"Okay. I guess I'll just never get to celebrate those days..." he trailed off as he went to his private cell.

The warden felt so bad about how the closest thing he ever had to a son thought he would never get to celebrate those days. He had always tried to be a father-figure to the boy.

Before he got to his cell, the warden chased after him and said, "Wait up, kiddo!"

Sonny turned around and looked at Warden.

"I know how we could celebrate for your mother and father, if you want to."

"How?" the blue boy eagerly asked.

"Well, it isn't Mother's Day yet! It's this Sunday. And on Sunday, we can go celebrate it, alright?"

"Okay!"

Then he went off to his cell.

* * *

The warden was greeted by the guards as he walked into the prison on Sunday morning, and went to his office to place the bag he brought in on his desk, and afterwards straight to Sonny's cell, where he was waiting, pressed up against the bars, Minion right in his hands.

"Hey, Sonny. You ready?"

"Yeah! Can Minion come, too?"

"Sure. Why not?" he replied.

"So what do we do? What do we do? What do we do now, Warden?" the kid repeatedly asked, thrilled that he'd finally get to celebrate a holiday that all the other kids celebrated.

"Well, come with me. We're going to go outside, but first I have to stop in my office and get something. Alright, kiddo?"

Sonny patiently waited outside his office while the warden quickly grabbed the bag that he brought in with him.

The warden reached inside of the Party City bag and pulled out a plain deflated blue balloon and a string, even though that wasn't all there was.

"What's that for?" the curious extra-terrestrial asked.

"It's how we're going to celebrate."

The warden had done something similar before for his wife's birthday, but with pink balloons due to her cause of death, which was breast cancer.

"What we do first is blow up this balloon. Do you want to blow it up?"

"Okay!" the boy squealed with enthusiasm.

"Well, we'll have to fill it with Helium so that it rises."

"C'mon, Warden. Even _I _knew that!"

He should have known better. The kid was a genius.

"Let's go outside. I'll show you what we'll do."

The human adult and the alien boy walked hand-in-hand outside to where the recess grounds were, the blue child hopping along in anticipation.

Once they reached the recess grounds, the warden pulled a little gadget out of the Party City bag. It was a handheld helium tank, so that they could inflate the balloons and make them lighter than the air around it, causing it to float in the atmosphere.

"So, how do I work it?"

"Put the opening of the balloon on that little nozzle there."

He gracefully put Minion's water ball on the floor.

"Okay. Then do I press down on the nozzle to let the helium into the balloon?"

"Yep, good job."

The child's smile was a kilometre wide. It warmed the warden's heart to see him so happy with something that wasn't so... destructive. He seldom smiled like that: so genuine and with such meaning. He was actually happy. And that made Warden happy.

"When it gets full do I let go of the nozzle?" the happy alien asked.

"Well, you want to lift it up gradually as it's getting full."

"Alright..." he trailed off as he focused on letting up on the nozzle.

Once he was done, he pinched the valve of the basic balloon, so that it wouldn't deflate.

"Next, you have to tie the balloon," the warden instructed the blue extra-terrestrial.

The little boy tried his hardest, but couldn't tie it.

"I can't tie it!"

"Sure you can!"

"No! I can't!" the boy argued, as if it were the hardest thing to do in the entire world.

"I've seen you build machines that could create nuclear explosions; I'm sure you can tie a balloon."

"No, I can't. I just can't tie it," the boy stated. Then, with the biggest puppy-dog eyes imaginable, he looked at Warden and asked, "Can you tie it for me?"

He wanted him to be able to do things for himself, but he was only five, and he just could not say no to those adorable green eyes.

"Okay. I'll do it."

He took the balloon and tied the end of the balloon for him, and gave it back to the kid.

"Now, hold onto that. I'm gonna tie this string around it, okay?" he told the alien child.

"Alright."

He gently tied the string around the end of the balloon and double-knotted it for extra protection.

Sonny held on to the string of the balloon and eagerly asked, "What do we do now?"

"This is that part that is for your mother," he replied. The boy just looked at him, so fragile and desperate to honour his family. "You're gonna let go of the balloon, and let it fly into the sky, as a reminder of your mother, who used to be with you, but has gone onto a better place..."

"What better place? I thought she died."

"Well, just because he body did doesn't mean her soul is gone. She's out there somewhere, looking over you, watching you, protecting you in ways you don't know. She's there with you every step of the way, as is your father. And when you release this balloon into the sky, you're telling her that you know she's there, and that you love her."

"Oh. How can that be? Is there ant proof?"

"Well, not exactly, but have you ever felt really sad and then all of a sudden you got a burst of inspiration to work on something?"

"Yeah. I get that a lot."

"That's them telling you to get back up again and keep your chin held high. They want you to know that things will get better and that-"

"That I'm destined for greatness."

"Yes. That's them. And now it's your turn to give something back and tell her that you appreciate all of those times where they help you feel better after a really hard day."

"Okay. I will."

"Do you want to say anything to her before you let the balloon go?"

"Do I have to?" Sonny asked.

"Well, no, you don't have to. But if you want to personally say anything to her, you can."

"I... don't really know what to say. Can I just let it go?"

"Sure," Warden said. He didn't want to pressure the kid. It was probably already hard enough for him, and he didn't want to make him upset or anything.

He let go of the string wrapped around the valve of the balloon and all three of them, human, alien, and fish, watched the blue balloon as it gradually rose into the sky. At that moment, a cloud moved out of the sun, and it got twice as bright.

"See that?" Warden said. "That's your mother smiling down from heaven."

"What's_ he-vahn_?" the inquisitive child asked.

"Well," the warden laughed at his cute mispronunciation, "it's a place where people go once they are no longer with us physically, but where their spirit can live on."

"Oh. I've never heard of it. Will I go to _he-vahn_ when I die?"

"Of course! But you have to live here first. And once people are done living here, they move on to heaven. And that's where your mother and father are. And they are watching us right now, and wanted to shine a little sun on us to let us know they're with us."

Sonny was always sceptical about these things, but not this time. He knew it could have been a coincidence, but he _felt_ them there. He just knew it. He couldn't explain, but they were there. They had to be.

* * *

"Minion, did you get the balloons?" Megamind asked his loyal friend.

"Yes, Sir. Just like every year," the space fish replied.

"Good. Now, this year, as you know, I invited Roxanne, so we must wait for our visitor."

"Oh, Roxanne is always a pleasure! You should invite her over more often."

They were waiting outside the Evil Lair in the abandoned parking lot for Megamind's new girlfriend, Roxanne Ritchi. After what had happened with Tighten, Roxanne gave Megamind another fair shot at winning her heart, and so far, it was working. And even if Megamind and Minion weren't evil anymore, it sounds stupid to call the Evil Lair the "Good Lair", so they kept the name. It's not like anyone besides Roxanne knew about it, anyways.

"Should I go inside and make some desserts, then? Roxanne loves my peanut butter M&M cookies. Perhaps I should make those..."

"Well, she should be here very soon. She wanted to visit her father's grave at the cemetery."

"Did you offer to accompany her?"

"Well, I did, but she said that she'd rather go alone."

"Oh. Well, that's good. I wouldn't you to go and something happen..."

"Minion, calm down. I know how you felt about the incident of '06, but get over it."

The incident of '06 was not pretty.

"It wasn't funny, Sir! And like you have any room to talk! After what happened to you!"

"Okay, we said we'd never ever bring that up again. Ever. Don't talk about it."

"Oh, I'm PRETTY! So PRETTY!" he mimicked.

"MINION! ZIP IT!" his master commanded

"I'm so PRETTY!" the fish sang.

"Ya know, imitation is a form of flattery. So, thank you. I'm flattered."

"And WITTY!" he joked, as he knew Megamind thought it was somewhat funny, even though he was embarrassed.

"Fine. Go ahead. Make fun of me all you want! But I was still more glamorous than you could ever be!"

He heard a faint giggling behind him and he turned around only to find Roxanne had just arrived in her yellow scooter.

"Oh, that was just... nothing."

"Nothing?" Roxanne jokingly said, with an obvious hint of flavourful sarcasm in her voice.

"Uh... That's beside the point! We have more significant issues to deal with than my awe-inspiring beauty."

Roxanne laughed at his attempt to avoid the situation. She thought it was so cute when he'd do that sort of thing.

"Now, back to business!" Megamind declared. "Minion, do you have the helium tank with you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Then fill the balloons with helium for me," he demanded, and Roxanne gave him a look that said 'What do you say?' and he added to the end of his sentence, "Please?"

"Alrighty, Sir!" Minion obeyed and asked, "Roxanne, would you like a balloon, too?"

"That would be very thoughtful of you, Minion," Roxanne replied, grateful that they wanted to include her and let her participate in the event that Megamind had seemed to love.

Minion went to go blow up the balloons with the helium tank and while he was doing that, Megamind began to explain to Roxanne what they did.

"First, we fill the balloons with helium so that they float. We _could_ use other gases than helium, since all we really need is a gas that is less dense than the surrounding air, but helium is easy to get and more convenient. Hydrogen is flammable and people look at you weird when you ask for methane, because they're under the delusion that methane is what makes flatulence smell so badly, when actually it's compounds like hydrogen sulphide and methanethiol. And then there's ammo-"

"Honey, you're going off on tangents again," Roxanne brought to his attention. She had recently begun trying to introduce him to new social guidelines that would be helpful for him to follow if he was going to be a well-known and well-like public figure in Metro City, and one of those guidelines was to stay on topic and avoid needless details.

"Right, right. Anyways, after we fill it with helium, you have to tie the end of the balloon, but I can't tie balloons, so Minion always does it for me. But if you would like to tie your own balloon, you're more than welcome to."

She giggled. "Alright. What do we do after that?"

"We tie a string around the knotted valve and after we do that, we let it go into the sky."

"And how is this for Father's Day?" she asked. She had a real good idea on why one would do this, but she wanted to know what her blue beau thought about it.

"To let them know that... That we know they're there for us. It's to appreciate all that they do as they look down on us. From _he-vahn_."

"You mean-" she was going to correct him, but she didn't feel the need to this time. This obviously meant a lot to him, and she didn't want to ruin that for him. "Never mind."

"And I believe that they're looking down on us right now, and when we let these balloons go, they're gonna smile down on us."

Roxanne was quite shocked, but very pleased. She never knew Megamind was so spiritual. She pictured him believing in nothing but science, but she was wrong. She was provoked to ask a question. She didn't want things getting awkward if she were to bring it up, but she had to ask. It's the way that reporters worked.

"Megs?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you religious?"

"No, not really. I don't read the bible or go to church. I don't know if there's a god or not, and I don't think I care. But I believe there's something beyond our existence here... There has to be. Scientifically, I can't prove anything, but we can't prove otherwise, either. And there's got to be a reason we we're here. I don't know. I don't have a religion, but I guess you could say I'm somewhat spiritual. I believe in _he-vahn_. I believe that we have a purpose. I believe we go on."

Roxanne was speechless. She never expected something so serious to come out of his mouth. He was seldom serious, always joking around and having fun. He had never spoken that way around Roxanne before. She almost cried, so she started to push her hair to the side, which she always did, in hopes that it could cover her one eye and no one would notice. She wasn't sad or happy or angry or excited or anxious. She was just flabbergasted. They didn't have that deep of conversations most of the time, and for him to be so solemn was stunning for her.

"I hope that wasn't too much for you. I hope I didn't say something that upset you."

"Oh, sweetie, you're fine. I'm fine. I just... don't really know how to respond to that."

"Then don't. You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I didn't at first, either. It's okay."

It was just the right time for Minion to come back with the three balloons, one for each of them.

"Here's your balloon, Miss Ritchi," Minion said as he handed the balloon to her.

"Thank you, Minion. I appreciate it," she replied.

"Here's your balloon, Sir," Minion stated as he gave the blue balloon to his blue master.

"Thank you, Minion," he acknowledged as he looked at Roxanne, who constantly tells him to say thank you to everyone who does something for you, since he never had anyone to teach him that before.

"You're welcome, Sir," Minion smiled. He wasn't used to being thanked like that, which was one of the many reason he liked Roxanne being around.

Now, there they were. Roxanne was to the left of Megamind and Minion to his right. It was quite a sight. Five year-old Sonny never would have guessed that this is where he would be thirty years later. He might have guessed that he was a world-famous scientist, without a girlfriend or a wife (because, back then, girls had cooties) and living in a big huge mansion. But he never would have guessed he'd be standing in front of his ex-Evil Lair with Roxanne, the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world to him, still doing the Blue Balloon ceremony on Father's Day.

"Minion, would you like to say anything?" Megamind offered, as he always did on the days of the Blue Balloon ceremonies.

"Just a few words, that's all," he said.

Then he looked up to the sky and said, "Dear Father Fish, I never really got to know you, since at ten days old I was sent to look after my master, but thank you for helping create me. Thank you Mr. And Mrs. Tanvir for bringing your son into this world and letting me be his Minion. There is no master I'd rather serve than your son. Thank you for all that you did and all that you do."

With a glance in Megamind's direction, the alien knew the fish was done, and turned to Roxanne. "Do you want to say something?" he asked her.

"Well, I never really knew your parents..."

"Your father is listening, too. He's in _he-vahn _ right with my parents. You can say something to him, if you'd like."

That almost made Roxanne cry, but she sucked it up, and nodded. She closed her eyes, clasped her palms, with the balloon string still in hand, and then proceeded to speak.

"Hey, there, dad. I know I just saw you at the cemetery, but I didn't really tell you what I wish I could tell you. I miss you a lot. I'm sorry that you had to go through what you did, but at least you died for your country, and that, to me, is a very honourable thing. I look up to you so much and you're my biggest role model. And I always listened to the advice that you told me. You always told me not to judge a book by its cover, and I never did. When I brought this one home, Mom sort of had a fit, but you know how she is," she laughed a little at that. "But that didn't keep me from following my heart. Megamind means the world to me. He's done bad things before, but he really deserves a second chance, and he's a great guy. He'd do anything for me and I would do anything for him and... I've never told him this before, but I love him."

Megamind swallowed his spit in shock of what she just said. They hadn't said the "L-word" yet.

"I'm sure you'd like him, too, if you had gotten the chance to meet him. I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you and I miss you. I can't believe that you had to go when I was only fourteen years-old, but you did what was right for your country, and I admire that. You are a real hero to me. Thank you for everything you did for me when you were around and thank you for watching over me. I love you."

As strong as she was, she was crying a little bit through the whole thing and once she was done, Megamind went over to her and hugged her and kissed her very softly on the cheek.

Once he was done with that, he looked up to the morning sky that was very blue in colour, even though there were clouds everywhere and they covered the sun.

"Hey, dad," Megamind began. He never said anything when he did the ceremony around Warden when he was younger, but once he and Minion started living on their own, he did. He always did.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a visitor. Let me introduce you to Roxanne Ritchi. I know that every year I'd tell you about her and how I was always trying to impress her, but look! Here she is! A lot has happened this year. I actually decided to use my powers for good, and everything is going great. I got the girl, I can legally buy things, and everybody loves me. And it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't been there to give me hope, I would have quit. But I kept trying and trying, in hopes that one day it'd get better. And it does! It gets better! Roxanne is living proof! And I thank you for it, because I know that you were there telling me that I could dehydrate myself and save the day once I hit the fountain whilst I was falling to my death that one life-changing day. If it weren't for you giving me all these great ideas, I would never get to save the day. And now I do that _everyday_! Isn't that fantastic? I help other people. You'd be so proud if you could see me now. And I know that you are proud of me and you're probably telling everyone in _he-vahn _ all about me.

"I know that I never really got to know you, but I know that you are there with me every step of the way. You have to be. I could never be this successful without you. I couldn't do it without you. I love you. Thank you. Take care."

To Roxanne, it was startling to see him so humble. To see him admit that he _needs_ other people. And it warmed her heart.

He turned to the other two and asked, "Are we ready to let go of the balloons?"

They both nodded in agreement. They were ready to let go.

"Now!" Megamind said, letting go of his first.

The other two followed his lead and let go of their flimsy off-white balloon strings.

And at that moment, the cloud blocking the sun moved out of the way, just as it did the first time they let go of the blue balloons when he was just five year-old Sonny. Just like it did every single year after that.

"See that, Roxanne?" he tenderly held her by her waist with his right arm and with his left, he pointed to the sun, "That's them smiling down from _he-vahn_. That's them letting us know that they heard us."

She smiled and kissed him on his cheek, causing his ears and cheeks to empurple a significant amount, as they were both looking at the blue balloons flying in the beautiful blue sky, the sun shining down on them, warming their bodies in the nice summer breeze.

"Who wants cookies?" Minion asked.

"Oh, are they the peanut butter M&M kind?" she keenly asked.

"For you, of course!"

"Oooh! Yes! That would be lovely, Minion. Thank you."

"It's my pleasure, Miss Ritchi," Minion said as he started for the building.

"Perhaps you would like to come inside?" the extra-terrestrial proposed.

"That would be very pleasant," she replied as if she were a princess in a fairytale.

Megamind escorted her arm-in-arm inside the "secret entrance" holographic wall that she became very familiar with.

He led her to the dining room, where they would wait for Minion to finish baking the cookies. He normally only took about fifteen minutes, since he worked kitchen magic. No one really understood how he could make such intricate desserts in such little time, but he always managed to do it perfectly every single time.

"So, I take it Mr. And Mrs. Tanvir were the names of your parents?" Roxanne asked with her nosy reporter nature, but Megamind didn't mind it.

"Yeah. I couldn't remember that, but Minion is older than me and heard his parents tell him he'd go serve the "Tanvir" family, and he served me, so he basically concluded that my parents were Mr. and Mrs. Tanvir," he answered.

Roxanne then said, "Ah. I see."

"Yeah."

There was a silence. It wasn't an awkward one, but a rather reflective one. A silence filled with comprehension and consideration as they both pondered over their own thoughts.

"How long have you been doing the whole 'Blue Balloon' thing?" Roxanne enquired.

"I've been doing it ever since I was five years-old. And that's about thirty years. Every Mother's Day and Father's Day, every year."

"Wow. That's a long time. How'd you come across this idea? Like, why'd you start doing this?"

"Well, it all started when everybody made Mother's Day presents in _shool_ for their mothers, and I didn't get to make one since I didn't have a mother. They told me I couldn't waste supplies if I didn't have a mother."

"That's terrible! What happened next?"

Megamind went on to tell Roxanne the whole story about Warden showing him the blue balloons and helping him tie it and letting them go into the sky and telling him about heaven and everything. He told her that they did it together every year until he decided to become a villain, and then Megamind and Minion did it on their own. He told her that when he was younger, he'd secretly hope that they were alive and they'd see those and rescue him.

"That's such a touching story! He was such a great dad to you," Roxanne said to her boyfriend.

"I know, even if I'd only known him for eight days."

"No! I don't mean him! I mean Warden!"

"What? He's not my dad?" Megamind was confused by what Roxanne had meant. Of course Warden wasn't his dad. They weren't related. There were no records. Warden wasn't his dad.

"Maybe he's not your biological father, but he was a great father-figure in your life. You mean to tell me you never acknowledged that?"

"Well, I never thought of it that way. I felt really close with him up until my late adolescence, when I decided to be a super villain, but I never called him my _dad_. I just never felt that it would be okay to call him that. When I was little, I wanted to call him daddy, but I knew that he wasn't my father and that it wouldn't be sensible to label him as my dad if he wasn't."

"You _NEVER_ once called him your dad or daddy or papa or pop or anything? Never?"

"Never. I didn't think I could. I didn't think I should. I felt like... he'd get angry with me. I don't know! I was really little! How was I supposed to know that sort of stuff?"

"I guess you didn't... Did you ever even wish him a Happy Father's Day?"

"No. I always wished my real father a Happy Father's Day. You can't have two fathers! You can't have two dads!"

"Yes, you can! You can have two father-like role models! I think your real father would want you to wish Warden a Happy Father's Day."

"Why? I have my real father to guide me. I wished him a Happy Father's Day."

"But if it weren't for Warden, you wouldn't have even known that they were looking out for you. You would have gone your whole life not knowing that anyone cared about you if it hadn't been for him. You wouldn't have known about heaven. You wouldn't have known about them watching over you. You wouldn't have done the Blue Balloon ceremony. Ever. Not without him, anyways."

He was speechless. Roxanne was right. Warden was the one who gave him that hope in the first place. He was the one who got him to believe in not only heaven, and the spirit, but also in himself. _He_ was the one who encouraged him to get back up after a rough day of school. Maybe his parents were there, too, but so was Warden, and Megamind had discredited him his whole life.

"Well, there isn't much I can do about it now. The past is the past, Roxanne. I've looked into the reset button. The science is impossible! It's not like I can do anything now!" Megamind shouted in frustration. He was angry at himself, but felt hopeless.

"Yeah, Megs, you can! That's the best part! It's not too late!" she exclaimed with confidence.

"What are you getting at?"

"Can't you see? It's still early on Father's Day morning! You could go wish him a Happy Father's Day, if you so chose to do so. You could go down to the prison and ask for Warden and tell him you thank him for everything he's ever done for you. Tell him you still do the blue balloons. Tell him what you told me. That you always wanted to call him daddy, but you felt like that'd be wrong. Tell him!"

"But what if he's mad at me for never wishing him a Happy Father's Day before? What if he thinks it's unprofessional to say that? What if he-"

"No. No excuses. If he really loved you, he'd understand and he'd thank you for coming down and acknowledging him. And I know he will, because he loves you. He always tried to be your dad. You just have to let him in."

"C'mon, Roxanne. That sounds sorta mushy, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah, but you don't have to say it like that. Just... be natural. Say what comes to mind."

"Fine. I'll go. But only because you want me to! Not because I feel any of that sentimental junk!"

"Alright, then," she said. She knew he didn't mean it. But it was hard for him to come out of his shell sometimes, to take off the mask of protection.

They were about to leave, but then Minion came out of the kitchen with the cookies he made.

"But, first," Megamind said to Roxanne, "let's eat cookies!"

* * *

Megamind wanted to drive with just Roxanne and him. He loved Minion, but he really wanted to have a specififc conversation with Roxanne that he couldn't have with Minion in the car.

"So..." he said awkwardly.

"So..." Roxanne repeated.

"Roxanne?" he asked his girlfriend.

"Yes?" she hastily replied, wanting to know his question.

"Did you mean it?" he asked, hoping she'd know what he was talking about.

"Mean what?" she asked. She knew what he meant, but she wanted to play it off like she had no clue.

"Ya know, what you said..."

"Well, I said a lot of things today. What do you mean?" her stomach tied in a knot. She was really nervous, but for some reason, she loved these sorts of "play-it-off" conversations.

"What you told your father..."

"That my mom freaked out? Yeah, sorry about that. She'll get used to it. She just always wanted me to go out with Wayne, but he's not my type, and I'm not his..."

"What do you mean you're not his type?"

"Promise you can keep a secret?"

"Sure," he promised.

"Wayne is gay," she admitted.

"Oh," he said. He didn't know how to respond. He was fine with gay people, but he just didn't see that coming. He should have seen it, but he was so stuck on the story that Roxanne and Wayne were a couple for such a long time that it never occurred to him Wayne might have... other things... on his mind.

"Yeah, but that's why I'm not his type."

"I see... but that's not what I meant..."

"Well, what did you mean, then?"

Conveniently enough, to postpone the conversation, on his drive to the prison, someone cut him off and Megamind screamed out the window, "NICE MOVE, JACK-"

Luckily, before he got to swearing, Roxanne pulled him into the car to keep him from causing a riot and subsequently damaging the reputation that he had worked so hard to rebuild, and for that reason, she hurriedly said to him, "Yes, I love you."

Megamind was so speechless that he ignored the lousy driver from that point on and just sat there, half of his body purpled, in total shock. He almost would have forgotten to drive if Roxanne hadn't shouted, "He's out of your way! Drive!"

He continued to drive the shiny black car to the prison.

Most of the ride from that point on was silent. It was neither an awkward silence nor a contemplative silence. It was just silence.

That was until they were pulling into the visitor parking lot and he said, "I love you, too," and got out of the car once he parked.

They walked in the Metro City prison together, holding hands, but neither saying anything.

* * *

They went to the prison secretary and told them that they wished to speak with the warden. She said that she'd check in with him and tell him that he had visitors; however, before she called him, Megamind had asked her if they could surprise him, instead. At first, she was very sceptical about letting him in, knowing his criminal history, but Roxanne reassured the woman that he had no bad intentions and that she would be there with them, supervising him, so she let them go, trusting Roxanne's judgement.

Megamind had guided Roxanne to where the warden's office was, but asked if she could wait outside the office for just a little while, so he could speak to Warden one-on-one, man-to-man, and she recognised his purpose for doing this, thus she understandingly complied.

The door was wide open, and he saw that he was in there, concentrated on reading a newspaper. Using that as an opportunity, he snuck in there as stealthily as he could, but Warden was smart enough to know when someone was sneaking into his office, so he jumped up quickly and as soon as he turned around to see who it was, the blue alien had already hugged him.

He noticed who it was, and was dumbfounded, but hugged back as a result of his innate parental instincts.

"Happy Father's Day, dad."

Megamind felt exceptionally relieved once he said that and got that off of his chest. He had always wanted to call someone "dad", just to know how it felt, and he loved that feeling once he finally got the opportunity to say it to Warden.

Warden didn't really know what to say. He wasn't the type to get all mushy and affectionate about stuff, but after everything that had happened, and with his grown up Sonny turning up out of the blue and calling him "dad", he couldn't help it when a single teardrop fell from his eye.

"I love you," the blue alien added. It felt right to say. Roxanne had told him to say what came to mind. And that's all that there was in his head.

"I love you, too," was the warden's reply. He was very overwhelmed by everything that was going on, but he had to keep it together. Yet, it felt so good to finally receive recognition for all he did. All the years that he spent trying to be a father figure for the extra-terrestrial had finally paid off.

Megamind didn't want to let go, but he knew that he had to eventually, so he reluctantly pulled away and looked to the floor. He wasn't ready to look him in the eye yet.

"So, why the change of heart all of a sudden?" he asked the adult alien.

He called out the door, "Okay, you can come in now!"

The familiar reporter walked through the opening and said, "Hello."

"Ah, I see," he said with a nod to his sort-of son. "A girl. Did she make you?"

"No, she just helped me see," he said as if he had been blind this whole time.

"Well, Roxanne is a very insightful person, and you are very lucky to have her," he said to the child-like man in front of him, who was still looking at the floor.

"I'm not lucky," he replied, leaving everyone silent for a split-second, "I'm blessed."

Roxanne blushed and moved her bangs to the side, flustered that he spoke so highly of her.

"Yes. Yes, you are. And you best not ever forget that. She's a wonderful girl. I've had the pleasure of getting to know her when she'd come over to interview you, and she's a fine, intellectual woman, so don't ever loose her."

"I know, I won't," he said to Warden.

"Good. Now, Roxanne, what happened that made him come all the way down to the prison just to wish me a Happy Father's Day?"

"Well," the female started, "he invited me to his Blue Balloon ceremony and-"

"I'm sorry, Roxanne. I don't mean to cut you off. But," he turned to Megamind, "Why did you decide to start doing that again?"

"I never stopped," was the alien's firm response, as he still looked at his feet.

The warden smiled, knowing that the tradition he started when his little Sonny was only five years-old continued to live on, even when he had no one else on his side but Minion. It made him feel good to know that the memory of the first Blue Balloon ceremony was still in his giant head after all the wrongdoings he had committed.

"Continue, Roxanne," Warden said, letting her finish her story.

"Thank you. He told me about how you showed him it and how you guys did it every year together until he moved off on his own to become a super villain. But, he said he still did it every single Mother's Day and Father's Day. And I brought to his attention how great of a father figure you were to him, and I feel he finally realised what you have been trying to be this whole time," she paused, and added, "A dad."

Warden was somewhat embarrassed by what Roxanne was saying, but he couldn't deny it, either, which was partially the reason he was so self-conscious. He always wanted to be a dad, but soon after he married his wife, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and they didn't want to try for a child if its survival rate would be low, also lowering his wife's survival rate. So, they waited for the disease to go away, which it never did. She hung in there for a long time, but after four years of trying her hardest, her body couldn't take it anymore, and she passed. They never got the chance to have kids, and so when Sonny entered his life a few years after her death, he was grateful for the opportunity to raise the child, even if it was considerably harder than raising a human baby.

"Roxanne's right," was what he said to the being that he had tried to comfort and care for ever since he arrived on their planet with nothing but Minion and his binky.

"Dad?" he said, looking up to him, in his blue-grey eyes. He was tremendously nervous to say that. To address him as his dad, while actually looking in his eyes. He didn't know what his fear was, for it was very irrational, considering it could not injure him to look in Warden's eyes, but it was almost as if he were ashamed. Ashamed of shunning him away, and he couldn't handle knowing that what he did actually hurt people, and he thought that if he looked in his eyes, he'd see a look of disappointment. But instead, he found a look of forgiveness.

"Yes, son?" Warden said. He was very anxious to say that, as well. He didn't really know why. He was worried that it'd be inappropriate to say that, since he wasn't _actually_ his son, but he always wanted to know what it was like to say that. To call someone "son". To know that your legacy would be passed on to future generations, through someone you helped raise throughout their whole life, childhood, adolescence, and even a little bit during adulthood. Now he had the opportunity to say that. And it felt amazing.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say. After all he had done, after all the crime and the disobedience and the disrespect and everything... And he was. He realised that what he had done in the past was wrong and he wish he could take it back, but all he could do now was apologise, which is what he was trying to do.

"I forgive you," said Warden.

Roxanne just stood there, looking at her boyfriend, and smiled because he really did deserve a family, and now he was getting the opportunity to have one. A rather queer family, consisting of a space fish brother, a girlfriend who used to be his captive when he was a super villain, and a dad who used to literally imprison him, but a family nonetheless, and none of them could possibly ask for anything more.

Warden and Sonny hugged once more, but this time as a way to officialise their relationship of father and son.

"So, dad," Megamind said awkwardly, "after your duties here, would you like to go out to eat for Father's Day. It will be my treat," he offered.

"That would be great. My lunch break is actually in an hour," Warden informed them. "Where are we going?"

"Well, you can pick. It is _Father's _Day, after all. You can go to a restaurant, but if you'd like, you're welcome to come to our place for a lunch. Minion is a fantastic cook."

"Well, I suppose I ought to try Minion's cuisine. He always said he could work in the prison kitchens, but I never let him. We could go over there, if that is alright with you."

It was funny that all of this started by a little blue balloon and a handheld helium tank from Party City. All of the closeness, and family, and hope. Every time he got back up after another failure, so he wouldn't disappoint his parents. Every time that he thought he'd never get to get the girl, and something inside of him told him that there was hope. Every time that he needed a reason to do something productive, when all he wanted to do was sit down and cry, and instead of laying there in self-pity, he got up and worked harder. All of it because of a couple of blue balloons flying in the morning sky twice a year.

"That'd be fantastic!" Megamind exclaimed. "And you're in double luck! Minion made extra cookies!"

* * *

**Eh? Pretty long & heavy, but I enjoy it :) I hope you did, too. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take thirty seconds out of your life to review this. That's not very long. So, please, make my day and review! I love all of my reviewers, followers, favouriters, and whatnot. So, yeah. Well, if you like this, check out my other stories, _Secure in Your Embrace_ and _MegaScars_ and my other drabbles. Okay. Have a great day! Stay awesome! :D**


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